VIRTUAL SEASONS EPISODES

PROLOGUE

Sometimes, GTFW likes to play tricks on me... and leaping me into some of the most embarrassing situations – no matter what the cost – the male libido, the red-faced moments or the sexual connotations that trick may be a part of.

"Okay, cut!" a deep male voice filled the room. "That was great, you two. Really got me going. Remember everyone. You get ME going, you're going to get everyone else going too." Laughter filled in the room. "Okay, let's all take a breather. I need some privacy, if you know what I mean." Again another bout of laughter came and died away.

Sam’s eyes popped open and looked up into the face of another man lying on top of him – his eyes widened in surprise and distain.  His mouth dropped open in shock and he just blinked at him for a moment before tossing him off and moving on the bedding he was on.  Glancing down at himself, he was surprised to see that he was totally buck-naked.  He raked at the blanket beside him, and then saw the fake nails.  He inwardly moaned.  ‘I’ve leaped into a woman… again.’

        The blonde haired man, who was obviously naked except for the vampire fangs and a black cape, smiled back down at Sam as he placed his hands on his hips.  "Hey, I'll be ready for the next scene tomorrow." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on Sam's cheek. "Don't be late, sugarplum." With that, he pivoted then walked away.

        Sam shivered at the thought of where the man was a moment ago and swallowed hard as he looked around to see that he was on a set and there were men and a few women standing around everywhere        "Ronnie, aren't you going to get dressed?" a female voice asked. "We're off duty. Let's go get something to eat."

        Hearing someone call out, he looked over and saw a lovely brunette coming over to his side.  “Off duty?” he asked her.  He glanced over at the man as he walked away.  “Off duty?” he asked again then looked over at her once again.  “Oh boy!”

PART ONE

        The longhaired brunette sighed then marched over to Sam, then grabbed at the blanket.  A tug of war ensued between the two.  “Come on, lover.  Shooting is over for the day.  You can be with Romero tomorrow.”  The shock of the woman’s words made Sam look back toward the way the man had left and she victoriously won the tug of war.  Standing up quickly, Sam grabbed at the blanket again, but before he could cover up, the brunette slapped at Sam’s bare butt.  “Ronnie!  Stop playing with the props, will you?  Get in the shower and get dressed.  I made reservations and you are not going to make me late.  Got it?”

LOVER?!  Sam thought to himself as he looked up at her.  PROPS!?  Finally, Sam was able to wrap the blanket around himself and straightened his shoulders.  “I’m not going to make you late.  I… I’m… chilled,” Sam told her then started to where he hoped the showers where. 

“Veronica, where do you think you’re taking that blanket?” asked the man who had been talking when he first leaped in.  “Leave it on the bed so we can prepare for shooting tomorrow.”  He then gestured toward the direction of the showers.  “Now git, will you?”  You’re holding me up for Marcia.  You expect me to go around with this all day?” he gestured down at his midsection.

Sam’s eyes dropped to the man’s pants, noticed the bulge there and quickly glanced back up embarrassed not only at himself, but for the man as well.  “I… um… I’ll bring it back.  I’m cold all of a sudden,” Sam tried to explain as he tried to keep his eyes from straying again.  “Go ahead and go to Marcia.  I’ll bring it back.  I promise.”

“Are you nuts?  Harold doesn’t like it… never has,” the response came from the woman next to him.

Harold shook his head.  “We keep the temperature above eighty degrees for effect and she’s cold.”  He frowned at Sam before he tilted his head to the side in thought.  “You’re not pregnant are you?  You’ll mess up the entire shooting schedule if you are.”

Harold noticed how Veronica’s mouth dropped open in shock, hesitated then shook her head negatively.  He sighed at even the thought of it.  It would ruin everything if his star were out because of pregnancy.  “Go on.  Get going.  And that better be back in less than ten minutes or I’m taking it out of your pay.”

“Yes sir,” Sam supplied.  He saw the young brunette motioning to him and he quickly went after her.  “All right.”  He finally caught up with her in the restroom where the showers were located.  He handed her the blanket and without comment quickly got into a shower.  He was totally showered and dressed and ready to go in less than ten minutes.  “Okay,” he said as he stepped back into the waiting area to see the attractive brunette tapping her foot a bit aggravatedly.  “Listen, I… I need to return the blanket and then I’m ready to go.  Okay?”

         She sighed, rolled her eyes then smiled at him.  “Okay,” she told him softly.  “Just don’t forget your makeup.  You know I like it when you wear that mauve lipstick.”  She reached out to pinch Sam’s chin affectionately then started toward the door.  “I’ll be in the car, darling.”

        “I don’t’ even want to think about the implications of that,” Al stated as he walked out of the Imaging Chamber, hearing the last part of what she had said.  He waited for a moment as he watched her leave.  “So, how’s it going, Sam?”

"How's it going?!"  Sam asked him hotly.  "How’s it going!?"  He asked again even more flabbergasted.  "What do I have to do to leap, Al?  I want to know, okay?  I want to know now."

“Hey!  Take it easy, Sam!  Geez!  What’s got you all hot? I ask a simple question and you start in on me like I did something wrong,” Al shook his head, lifting the handlink as he did so.  “You know, you need to switch to decaf.”  With the glare that Al got from Sam, Al raised his eyebrows in defense.  “What?”

“I don't need to switch to decaf, Al.  I need to know who the hell I am and why I had some guy on top of me dressed like a vampire.  I also have a weird sensation that this woman that I've leaped into is interested in other women as well.  Al..."  Sam saw the amused look on Al’s face and he didn’t appreciate it, not one little bit.  "Tell me what's going on, Al."

"A guy was on top of you, dressed as a what?" Al asked surprised and restless with what he wanted to say.  Instead, he just smiled at the situation that Sam was in. 

"Okay, okay. Keep your pants on... or rather your skirt." Al raised the handlink. "Okay, you're name is..." Al chuckled at the information that appeared on the screen before him.  “Veronica LaTuffee and you're poor…” he frowned at the information and how it got stuck in the handlink then hit it on its side before amending his sentence.  "You're a porn star currently filming Veronica Does Castle Dracula. Oh geez!"

"What?!  A Porn star!?  No no no no no!  I... No!  I can't have leaped into a porn star Al!  I'm not a woman!  I can't be a porn star!  Veronica... Veronica Does Castle Dracula!?  I... I can't do this!"  Sam looked up at the ceiling.  "I can't do this!"  He shook his head again and said it once more for good measure.  "I... I just can't!"

"Relax, will you, Sam? You don't actually have to do any acting. At least, not if you leap before tomorrow afternoon."

"I sure as well hope that I'm out of here by tomorrow afternoon then.  What do I have to do?"  he asked a bit exasperatedly.  "Come on, Al.  I need to know now... before I have to go meet up with that... that girl outside."

"Okay, let me just see if I can get Ziggy to give me a little more info.... there. Ziggy says that there is a thirty-nine point ninety-three percent chance that you are here to help someone named Jessica Delude."

“How?”

Al shrugged.  “She doesn’t say.”

"Well, that would be nice to know, Al.  I'm going to go meet ... this woman outside.  Please try to find out what is going on, okay?  I really don't want to be kept in the dark on this leap.  Okay?"  The whole situation around him and not yet knowing anything about the leap already was enough to throw the leaper completely off track.  He ran his hand through his hair and headed out of the building toward the attractive brunette sitting in the car.

        Al nodded as he punched on the handlink as he followed Sam out the door.  “Just so you don’t sound completely lost, the woman in the car is Lara Holtz.  She’s your… uhm… well… ha… your girlfriend.” 

        Sam stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned slightly as he glanced back at Al.  The look that he gave was enough to keep Al talking.

        “She’s a fellow porn actress – that’s how you met… and she’s apparently is the jealous type so be careful who you make goo-goo eyes at.”

        When Sam reached out and finally opened up the car door, he gave Al another look and all Al could do was shrug.  “I don’t give out the assignments.  I’m just along for the ride.”

“About time, lover.  Hop in,” Lara told Sam as she started the car.

Sam settled in the seat then reached around and grabbed the seatbelt.  “Uh, where are we going again?  I mean, I know that you already told me but I’ve forgotten,” Sam said softly hoping that Al would help out with a name as well as tell him what the heck he had to do to leap out of Dodge.

“Nowhere fancy.  Just Michigan’s,” Lara said to her with a smile as she put the car into drive and headed toward the exit of the establishment.

        Al’s fingers flew over the handlink then he looked at the answer that was given to him and his eyes grew wide.  “Oh, that’s a local…” he cleared his throat then finished, “A local lesbian bar.”

        Sam had chocked on his drink before, but it was the first time that he had ever choked on his own tongue.  He began coughing and he couldn’t stop.  Lara even pulled the car over and began lightly patting his back.  Finally when the coughing came to a halt, Sam looked over at her and whimpered, “I… I’m fine… really.”

        "Are you sure?" Lara ask gently.  "Honey, if you're not feeling well, I can cancel the reservations and we can just go home and order a pizza."

"That... might be a good idea, Sam," Al told him plainly. "I don’t think you want to be around that many women fondling each other under the table."

“Well, you did make the reservations.  I... I don't want you to be mad, but, I... I'm really not feeling very well.  Actually, I feel a little nauseous.  You... you know..." Sam said hoping to everything that was holy that she did understand. 

Lara nodded.  "Okay, sweetie.  I hope you're not pregnant," Lara said concerned for her well being as she brushed her hair.  Lara then turned her attention back to the car and put the car back in drive.  She started back onto the road, and then pulled out her cell phone to call the restaurant to cancel the reservation. 

Al nodded as well, lifting the handlink as he did so.  “Sam, I’m gonna go back and see if Ziggy will come up with something on this leap.  Be back soon,” he assured him as he opened the Imaging Chamber door and stepped toward the door.

“Al!” Sam hissed at him.  “Stop!”  The moment the word was out of his mouth, he regretted it. 

Lara turned her head sharply as she looked at him in confusion as she lowered the phone away from her ear.  “What do you mean, stop?  Changed your mind?”

"Uhm... no.  Can... can we go home?" Sam asked her softly.  "I... I'm sorry that you have to cancel the reservations, dear."  Sam ran his hand over his face and then turned to look out the window.  "And... yeah... I hope that you're right... that I'm not pregnant," he said softly; hopefully; praying that he was right.  God, help me.

        Lara smiled softly at his words, especially the ‘dear’ part.  “I’d rather make sure you are okay than go out anyway.  And don’t worry.  I know when you are feeling ill that you’d rather sleep alone.  I’ll take the couch tonight.” 

        It took another fifteen minutes of uncomfortable silence before they made it back to the apartment.  Lara was gracious enough to guide Sam toward the apartment and inside then onto the couch.

"Are you up for pizza?  Or should I just make you some hot tea?"

"Thanks for understanding, Lara. I knew... I knew that you were the one who always understood me."  Sam wasn’t sure exactly where the words were coming from, but he was glad that someone appreciated the woman that was taking care of him at the moment.  “No… no pizza, but the hot tea sounds nice though.  Please?”

Before Lara could even respond, Sam’s hand shot out to catch her arm.  “Are you sure that you want to do this?  I mean, it’s not a bother, is it?  I don’t want you to baby me.”

Carefully, Lara took a hold of Sam’s hand and held it between her own hands.  “Baby, nothing is a bother when it comes to you,” she told him and then gave him a peck on the lips.  “I’m going to order myself a pizza and if you want a slice, then you can have one.  And I’ll get the water on to boil for that tea.”  She caressed Sam’s cheek sweetly, then turned and went toward the kitchen.

Sam couldn’t help but watch as she left.  As soon as she was out of earshot, he looked up at the ceiling and said, “Why me, huh?  Why me?”  He shook his head as he looked back toward the kitchen.  “Oh boy.  What next?”

        Returning to the living room, Lara sat beside Sam and then pulled him towards her so that his head was resting upon her shoulder.  She sighed gently.  “I’m so lucky to have you, Ronnie.  I don’t know what I would do without you.”

        Hearing her words, Sam inwardly groaned, ‘Why me, why me?’  He sat there for a long moment trying to come up with the words that might be spoken back to something so heartfelt.  “I’m the lucky one,” he finally said.  He wished that he had thought of something else, but before he could, she leaned forward, turned and kissed him – and it wasn’t just a peck either.  Sam wasn’t quite sure why it bothered him, but it did.  He was about to gently pull away from her when the Imaging Chamber door slid open.  He quickly separated from her and stood up.  Looking around the room, he quickly made his way to the bathroom and shut the door hastily.

Lara sighed with sympathy as she watch her lover hurry to the bathroom.  "Poor darling," she murmured to herself and then leaned back in the couch.

        Al relocated into the bathroom just in time to see Sam rinsing out his mouth with water.  “Sorry it took so long, Sam.  Ziggy decided to research ‘biological oddities’,” Al shook his head and then saw the paleness on Sam’s face.  “You all right?”

"No, Al, I'm not all right.  I'm a porn star who is a lesbian and I have no idea how to tell Lara in there that I'm not interested in anything that she is planning tonight.  Okay?" Sam saw his mouth drop open.  Sam didn’t want to hear anything raunchy but he did want to know what he needed to do to get to leap.  "Now, tell me, Al.  Why am I here, so I can get the hell outta Dodge!" he muttered hastily through clenched teeth.

        Al raised his hand defensively.  "Okay, okay, calm down, Sam.  I'm sure Lara doesn't have any plans other than a simple snuggle and a movie, especially since it's blatantly obvious that you aren't feeling your usual self."  He raised the handlink and pressed some buttons.  "Apparently, there's another up and coming star in Veronica's line of films.  She's…damn... she's seventeen, Sam."  He pressed a few more buttons.  "Her name's Deborah Whittaker.  Ziggy says there's an eighty-three percent chance that you're here to get her to get out of Dodge, to paraphrase you."

"A seventeen year old doesn't need to be in this line of business, Al, that's for sure." Sam shook his head sadly.  "Okay, well, where can I find Ms. Whittaker?  I mean, how am I supposed to help her if I don't know where she is?" Sam asked Al but he could also hear the knock on the bathroom door.

“Are you okay?” Lara asked concerned.  “Do you needs some help, lover?”

        Sam rolled his eyes.  “Uhm, no… I’ll… I’ll be okay,” he said sort of sickly.  “Just… give me a few minutes, okay?”

        “Okay, darling,” she said gently through the door.  “Just yell if you need me.”  As she finished saying it, the teakettle whistled and Sam could hear her begin to walk away.  “Tea will be ready when you come out.”

        Al looked toward the door.  “Sounds like Lara’s a heck of a nice

lady," he commented.  He did get a glare from Sam for that, the kind that told him that he’d better give him what he wanted and right now.

Tapping some buttons on the handlink, Al read the info.  "You should meet Deborah tomorrow at the set.  Her manager - damn nozzle, if you ask me - suggested that she watch a filming before actually starting her own role as... oh, geez..., as Countess Sensuousa'."

"Countess Sensuousa?" He rolled his eyes again.  “What a name!  I hate to even think about what my role is in that piece of crap that they are filming," he said with a shake of his head. 

        Al tapped on the handlink again.  “You’re the heroine that gives up her virginity to the Count’s lustful advances so that your friends may be spared eternal undeadness.  Countess Sensuousa… uh… you don’t want to know.  Best thing you can do for that girl is get her out of this movie.  Period.  Plus, she's underage so Ziggy says there's a good chance that you're here to put her manager out of business too."

"I can't imagine why anyone would do that to a child, Al.  Why?" he asked as he started toward the door.

Al looked at Sam sadly.  “Money,” he told him simply.  “There are a lot of sickos out there who are into that sort of crap.  The girl was probably trying to get into the movies and just got the wrong manager.”

        Sam sighed and opened the door and headed back out into the living room.

        Seeing Veronica come out of the bathroom, Lara gently smiled at her.  “Tea’s ready.”

        “Thanks,” Sam told her with a grateful smile.  Going and sitting down on the couch again, he leaned back with the hot tea and took a sip of it and tried his best to relax, but it was difficult when Lara kept trying to cozy up to him.

        “Uhm, I think… I think that I might go to bed early.  I… I really appreciate it that you said that you’d be taking the couch tonight.  Honestly, Lara, you are the best.”  Sam told her quite understanding where the words were coming from now.  “You are the best friend and lover that I’ve ever had.”  Sam watched as his hand went out to Lara’s face and caressed her cheek.  “Promise me?” He wasn’t sure what he was asking but it was obvious in Lara’s face that she knew.

        Lara smiled lovingly at her, taking her caressing hand and kissed it.  “Always and forever.  You get some rest, darling.  I’m going to watch a little television before I snooze.” 

        Sam nodded then turned and headed toward the bedroom.

        “Well, its obvious someone appreciates Lara,” Al told Sam as they approached the bedroom together.

        Sam closed the door and walked a few feet away from the door before he looked over at Al and said, “Yeah, well, everyone needs to be appreciated, Al, and from what I’m feeling from the psycho-synergizing from Veronica, she appreciates her an awful lot.”  That statement only got a grin from Al.  “Come on, Al.  What can I do?”

        Al frowned lightly at his words.  “What can you do about what?  The romance between Veronica and Lara or the situation with Deborah?” he asked thoroughly enjoying Sam’s uneasiness.

        Sam plopped down on the bed and looked up at Al with a frown.  “Both, Al.  Both.”  He shook his head and closed his eyes.  “This… this is just too much, Al.  I mean, I’m a lesbian porn star making… making … what is the title of this movie again?” Sam asked not liking the way that Al was grinning from ear to ear.

        “Veronica Does Castle Dracula,” Al told him plainly.  “I actually got a peek at this one when Beth was in Japan for a medical conference.”  Sam gave him a look that was equally chastising and awed.  “Hey, I was missing her, okay?  Anyway, you’ve got the best part of the entire movie!  Lucky lady!”

        Sam looked up at Al in shock.  “Great.  Just great.  I’m worried about a relationship with Lara and now worried about Deborah and trying to figure out how to get her out of this... this line of business and here you are telling me that I'm a lucky lady!  Al.  If you can't give me some kind of helpful information about what I need to do here... and nothing of it being of sexual orientation, then go home.”

"Okay, okay.  Don't get your pantyhose in a bind,” Al told him as he raised the handlink.  “Ziggy says that you have to somehow buddy up to Deborah when she is on the set tomorrow.  She also says that unless you want to be in a scene in the movie, you need a reasonable excuse to give to the director, like... you've started your period or something."

“I can’t believe this, Al.  I really can’t.  I can’t buddy up to Deborah without Lara in there getting upset.  Remember?  You said that she was the jealous type.  What am I supposed to do?" Sam asked him as he rubbed his brow.

Al shrugged.  “Hey, no one ever said this job was easy, Sam,” Al reminded him.  “Besides, you’ll think of something.  You can say you’re showing the new kid on the block the ropes.  Well… maybe not when you consider what line of work you’re in.”  Al scratched his head.  “Maybe you could try it from the other end and go after Deborah’s manager.  Somehow, you’ve got to get it out that he’s been recruiting under aged girls for this.”

        “I know, Al, I know.”  Sam leaned back against the bed and laid down.  “Why can’t I just have an easy leap?  Save the cat and leap?  Why?  Why does it have to be so damn complicated?” he asked the ceiling.  “Why?”  Sam turned his head to Al and shook his head at his partner grinning.  “And no, Al… you can’t come to work with me tomorrow. It’s going to be weird enough as it is.  I don’t need you there hamming things up.  Okay?”

        “Hey, did I say anything?” Al countered. 

“No, but you were thinking it.”

Al frowned.  “Geez, Sam.  That hurts that you think of me in that manner.  I’m a married man, after all.”

        “And if I remember correctly, you were the one that was still telling me that even if you were married… that you could look but couldn’t touch.  I don’t know why I remember that… but I do,” Sam told him plainly.

"Yeah, but there are occasions during the year where it’s don't look, except your loved ones - like anniversaries and birthdays," Al told him.  "And today is Beth's birthday so I'm going to be a good boy for her sake."

        "There are miracles," Sam muttered.  The look that Al gave him told him that he didn’t think that it was very funny.  "But, tomorrow's not her birthday, Al.  So... in that respect, you still can't... because I said so.”

        Al glared at him.  “You take all the fun out of being a hologram, Sam,” Al told him plainly.  “Sometimes I think you were born in a monastery.”  Al lifted the handlink, tossed him a goodbye wave then disappeared from his sight.

        Lara had thought that she had heard Ronnie talking out in her sleep so she sneaked up to the bedroom door and listened for a moment before tears began to form in her eyes.  ‘She wants someone else!  Whoever that Al is, she wants him instead of me!’  Returning to the couch, Lara cried silently.  Sleep finally won out when the tears had exhausted her.

PART TWO

Sam hadn’t slept well at all.  For some reason, he had a vision of Lara coming and creeping into the bed with him and certain things happening between the two of them.  When he came out of the bedroom, he saw Lara still asleep on the couch and decided to go ahead and make some coffee and breakfast before they had to go back to work.  The term ‘work’ even made him shiver and he made a face after taking a sip of the hot brew that he had made.  It wasn’t work.  It was degrading.

“So, did you sleep well?” Lara asked sleepily, but her voice was bland and had no merriment in it as it had last night.

Sam was pulling out the eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator when he heard Lara’s voice behind him.  Standing up quickly, he turned to face her as the bacon dropped from his hand.  “Uh… not well at all,” he told her softly as he bent down to pick up the bacon.  ‘Thank gawd that it wasn’t the eggs,’ he thought to himself.  “Dreams.  Guess this… this thing at work is driving me nuts.  Vampires and the such,” he told her as he put the bacon and eggs on the counter.  “What… what would you like to eat?” he asked her with a grin.  “Scrambled, fried, poached, or a-la-Beckett?”

"Is that the last name of your dream lover? Beckett?" Lara asked as she stepped into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.  "Is that the person you've been seeing behind my back?"

        Sam blinked at her words.  “What?” he said as he shook his head and held up a hand to her.  “I… I haven’t been seeing anyone behind your back, Lara.  Beckett…  he is a high school friend who always made awesome omelets when I went to his parents house,” he lied to her about who Beckett was, but he wished that Al was here to help him out of the spot he was in.  Sam took a step toward her.  “Why do you think that I would see someone behind your back?”

        Lara gave her a glare.  “Oh, come on, Veronica!  I heard you in your sleep! If you want your precious... 'Al'... whoever he or she is, why don't you just come out and say it?"

Sam blinked at her for a long moment as he realized that she had been listening at the door last night to hear him talking with Al.  He sighed heavily as he walked over to her and took her hands.  She immediately took them away from him, but he grabbed them again and held on tight.

"Al is a dream that I've had before, Lara."  Sam grinned as he heard the Imaging Chamber door open and heard Al ask how things were.  "He torments me in those dreams.  He won't tell me things that I need to know and acts like any normal man."  Sam looked deeply into her eyes.  "You don't have to worry about Al," Sam told her plainly. "I only want you."

        Lara sighed at his words.  “I suppose I am a little... possessive. But when I have the best, I don't want anyone trying to steal the best from me." Lara leaned forward and kissed Sam gently. "Scrambled."

        "Scrambled?" Sam asked her with a smile.  "Not a problem."  Walking over to the stove, he found a bowl and scrambled four eggs in it.  "Care for more coffee? I'll pour it for you."

Lara shook her head.  "No, that's okay.  I'll pour it."  Lara turned and reached for the coffee pot.  She paused right before she started to pour it as she glanced at Veronica.  Pouring the coffee, she put it back then picked up her mug.  "I'm just surprised that you've decided on the 'sin' breakfast instead of your usual bowl of fruit?"

"The 'sin' breakfast, huh? Well, sometimes, you need the fat intake.  Not all the time... but..." Sam glanced over his shoulder at her and grinned.  "You know how I am."

After making breakfast and eating, Sam started gathering the dishes together so that he could wash them, but he couldn’t help but grin at Lara as she looked at him as if he was nuts.  “What?  I’m cleaning up.”

“Yeah, I know.  And it’s freaking me out,” Lara told her bluntly. “I thought you said you hated cleaning.”

Sam couldn’t help but grin at her more.  “I do hate cleaning.  But if I figure if I clean it now then I won’t have to do it later,” he told her logically.  “You know if we cleaned as we went, it wouldn’t look so messy anyway.”  But that logical consequence that his mother had tried to teach him so often as he was growing up didn’t seem to work on Lara.  “What?”

        Lara extended her hand.  “Give me the plates,” she told Sam plainly.  “The last time you cleaned up, it took a week to get the dishwasher repaired.”

        “And… I’ve… I’ve learned a lot since then.  Come on, I’ll be okay.  Just… trust me, Lara.  Trust me.  You can even watch over my shoulder if you’d like,” Sam said with a grin.

        Lara sighed in frustration.  “You’re impossible.”  Dropping her hand, she shook her head as she headed for the bedroom.  “Do whatever you want but you’re paying the repair bill.”

        “Great relationship they have,” Al said sarcastically as he watched the scene play out before him.  “Reminds me of Thomas, Julianna's ex-boyfriend and ex-fiancé. They were good together, admittedly. But he was possessive. Tried to tell Jules he was all wrong

for her but she wouldn't listen. Of course, he wound up leaving her while she was pregnant with his child. Still, Veronica doesn't seem to have any problems with her relationship with Lara. She's absolutely ga-ga over her. Can't get her to talk about anything else." Al stopped when Sam gave him a look. "And good morning to you too, Sam."

Sam blinked at the information that Al gave him about his daughter's relationship with her ex-finance and then about how ga ga Veronica was over the woman who was now in the living room.  Sam glanced toward the living room then ran his teeth over his lip hoping that she wouldn’t come back into the room.  He nodded at Al’s good morning.  “Well, thank you, lover,” he said sarcastically as he turned and looked back at Al.

The look that Al gave him was priceless and Sam smiled brightly.  “You missed the beginning of that conversation.”  The only reaction that Al gave him was one eyebrow rising slightly.  “Lara thought that I wanted to be with Al Beckett.”  The look on Al’s face went from awe to a grin then to laughter.  “Quit it,” Sam murmured to him hotly as he turned once more in the small kitchen to open the dishwasher and plate the plates into it.

        "Gee, I didn't know you thought of me that way, Darling," Al teased him, still laughing from what Sam had told him. "But, I hate to break your heart. I belong to someone else. I hope you'll get over me very soon." Al saw the glare that Sam gave and he gave a chuckle.  “Oh, lighten up will ya?”

"Well, I'm glad that you can make jokes.  I don't see the humor in this at the moment.  I mean... oh... when am I supposed to be up at the stud... studio?" Sam stammered when he saw Lara stick her head into the kitchen once again.

Lara looked around the kitchen with a frown then looked at Veronica with concern.  “If you keep up talking to yourself like that, you aren't going to the studio at all today. Honey, you've been acting very strangely ever since we left work yesterday. Are you okay? You're not coming down with something, are you?"

        Al couldn’t help but chuckle.  “He's coming down with something that's for sure after that comment to me, darlin'.”

"Uhm... no," Sam said trying to ignore Al's words.  "I... just wasn't feeling well yesterday and today... well... I guess I'm just mainly on a high from the carbs from breakfast," he told her as he loaded the rest of the dishes into the dishwasher.  Opening the bottom cabinet, he placed in the dishwashing detergent and filled the container then closed it.  Placing it back, he shut the dishwasher and turned back to her and found her standing beside him, her hand shooting out to his forehead to check for a fever.  "Ohhh stop it.  I'm fine," he chastised her.

Lara exhaled in frustration. "Okay. If you insist. You better finish getting ready. We have to be at the studio in an hour and it'll take nearly that long in the traffic we're going to hit." Lara started for the door again. "But I'm bringing the blanket with us, just in case. I don't want you to get any worse if you are catching a cold. That would ruin your chances of finishing this movie for sure."

Al watched as Lara left the kitchen and bounced on the balls of his feet.  “Ahhh, the love of a good woman,” he grinned as he glanced at Sam.

Sam nodded at her and quickly moved along with her then turned back to Al and gave him a shrug.

Going into the bedroom, he quickly changed into a tank top and some shorts, the looked at himself in the mirror and just shake his head.  ‘There’s no way that I’m wearing this,’ he thought to himself.  Taking off the shorts, he headed to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans before he heard Lara call out, “Come on, lets go!”  Quickly dressing in them, he slipped on a pair of flip-flops also in the closet and started out toward the living room.

        Lara looked at the way Veronica was dressed and smiled.  She couldn’t avoid looking sexy if she tried, and she was actually sensible for a change!  Most of the time, she put on makeup only for the artists to take it all off of her when she got to the studio.  “Come on, we’re running late,” she told Sam as she grabbed her wallet and started for the door.  “Harold won’t be happy if we’re late today.  I hear we get to meet the girl who’s going to play the Countess,” she chuckled slightly.  “Can’t wait to see you two do the big finale.”

        Sam swallowed and blinked at her words as she continued on toward the car.  Sam’s eyes widened and he glanced at Al.  He motioned toward the car and Sam quickly opened the door and sat down.

        “Are you sure that you’re okay?”

        “Sure,” Sam said after he cleared his throat.  “Let’s go to… er… work,” he finally managed to say it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        The trip was as long as Lara had estimated and they arrived at the studio fifty minutes later, needing to literally run in and get to the meeting on time.  Lara smiled at Harold as they stepped onto the stage and gave him their attention.

        Al popped in beside his friend and pointed toward a younger looking woman who was just about standing opposite of him in the room.  “There she is, Sam.  That’s Deborah.  Gawd, she looks like she’s only fourteen!  Her manager is a sick man, that’s all I have to say.

        When Sam’s eyes met the young ladies eyes, she smiled lightly at him.  She did look extraordinarily young.  He turned his head to look back at Lara and saw her edge closer to his side, almost snuggling up to him.  ‘Oh boy,’ he thought to himself.  ‘How am I going to do this?’ he asked as he looked over at Al for some kind of confirmation of his unknown request.

        “We all here?” Harold asked as he looked around the room to see all of his cast somewhat circled around.  “All right.  Let me introduce our newest member.  Ms. Deborah Whittaker.”

        Harold watched Deborah step out of the line and lightly raise her hand up for everyone to see her.  “Deborah, is going to be our Countess, I believe, right, Miranda?”  Seeing her nod, Harold clapped his hands together.  “Right.  So… after the next couple of minor scenes that we will be filming today, she’s going to start tomorrow full bore.”  He couldn’t help but grin.  “Like I told you guys the other day… lets get me going once again!”

The clapping around the room just set Harold up and he walked over to where Ronnie and Lara were standing and grabbed Ronnie and pulled her into my embrace and kiss her cheek.  Funny, she seems more distant than before.  "You okay, sweetcheeks?" Harold ask as he reached around and lightly goosed Sam’s butt.

        Sam winced internally at being grabbed and kissed by the director.  Not exactly appropriate workplace behavior but then again this wasn’t exactly an appropriate workplace, was it?

        “Fine,” Sam told him.  “Umm…” he started, looking towards Al for some help but not getting a single bit of it.  “The new girl… Deborah… think I could show her around?”  He felt the look from Lara and he turned to assure her.  “She seemed a little nervous.  I just want her to make sure that she feels welcome.”  Lara didn’t seem convinced completely so Sam placed a kiss on her cheek.  “Besides, I think I'd better sit today out." That gets a concerned look from both Harold and Lara. "I'm fine, really. It's just... you know... Lady's stuff."

        Hearing something wasn’t right with one of my ladies, Harold leaned in toward her and calmly asked, “That time of the month, already?  I thought that we tried to schedule around that, sweetie?” Seeing the blush that came up on her cheeks, he reached out and rubbed Sam’s shoulders gently.  “If that’s the case, baby doll, don’t worry.  We’ll find something for you to do for a week.  OK?”

        Sam nodded at his words, his face red with the supposition that he made.  “Yeah, sure. I’ll just go show the new girl around for now.”  Sam started away from the small group towards Deborah, giving a glare towards Al for the look on his face.  “Not a word,” he warned under his breath before smiling as he approached Deborah.  He extended his hand toward her.  “Hi, I’m S… Veronica.”

        After being introduced to the group, Deborah just stood in the corner more than a little embarrassed, but she knew that in the long run that things were going to be okay.  She came out here for this job and that's what she planned to do... a job.  ‘It's a job.  Just keep saying that mantra over and over again,' she thought to herself.

But when a drop dead gorgeous woman walked up toward her, smiling and extending a hand, Deborah smiled back at her gingerly.  When she heard the name, she knew that she must have looked completely stupid as she stared at her and her mouth dropped open. "Veronica?  Ohhhh wow... I've heard so much about you."  Deborah grabbed her hand and gave her a hearty handshake.  "It's... it's an honor to meet you."

Sam lowered his head at her words, uncomfortable with the compliment.  “Uhhh… thanks.  I think.”  Humming and hawing for a moment, Sam finally found something to say.

“So, you’re… you’re new here, right?” Sam looked at Al, desperate for some assistance in this leap.  “Where do you come from, Deborah?”

"From Texas.  I'm from West Texas."  Deborah nodded at Veronica gently not really sure if she wanted to say the name of the town that she grew up in.  If anyone ever suspected that she had ran away from home and started this lifestyle, they might try to send her back... the question was... if she wanted to go back or not. 

        Al shrugged at Sam’s look and picked up the handlink and poked at it nonchalantly, but nothing was coming up to suit him.  He turned his hand over and shrugged one shoulder up and shook his head.  “Nada.”

        From the way that Deborah answered the question, Sam got the feeling that she didn’t want to go back to West Texas.  ‘Great.  Can you make things any harder?’ he wondered.  “Nice Country… or so I’ve heard,” he finished rather lamely.  “So… what made you decide to get into this… line of work?”

        Deborah was so enamored to be standing in front of a woman who was adored in many of her films that she leaned in a bit conspiratorially and said, “To be totally honest… to meet women like you who know what they want out of life… and…”

        “Aaaannndddd…” Sam prompted.

        “And the guys.  They are so hot!” she whispered with a sparkle in her eyes.  “Come on… I know that one of them has to be your beau.  Right?”

"Oh, boy," Sam murmured under his breath, slipping a glance at Al for guidance and, as usual, getting nothing. Deborah gave him an odd look, telling him that she expected an answer to her enamored question.

"Actually... no," he told her, his face reddening just from the thought. "I'm... kind of... well... interested in... umm... the other... half."  It wasn’t exactly elegant in its manner but at least it isn’t as crass sounding as what he could have said.

Deborah frowned slightly. "The other... oh!" she blushed almost immediately.  "I'm ... I'm so sorry.  Let me... oh... oh boy... let me go ahead and just take my knee out of my mouth and remove the foot from my stomach, maybe?"  Deborah said before she took a step back away from her then stepped forward once more not wanting Veronica to think that she didn't want to be around her.

Not knowing what to say or do now, Deborah finally just said, “Excuse me, please," and tried to move around Veronica but of course it wasn’t that easy.

"Wait a minute," Sam said gently, touching her shoulder to keep her from passing. "Why... why would you even be interested in women like me... I mean... I'm not exactly a role model for anyone, even if I were straight. I... I don't think you understand exactly what it is we do here."

        Sam looked to Al again, waiting for anything new at all.  “Deborah," he finally said, turning back to her. "I don't want you to go into this without knowing everything that goes on here. It's... this wasn't really my first choice as a career move."

Deborah looked at Sam a bit warily.  She looked down at the floor for a moment before she looked back up at him.  "What was your first choice as a career?  Didn't you want to be a movie star?  I mean... you are one!  It doesn't matter really how you came to be one... does it?”

        Sam took a breath before exhaling, finding the words that he hoped would change this young girl’s course in life.  “Sometimes it matters more to have a good reputation." Sam paused before asking, "Deborah, do you know what we're filming here? It's not going to be something that you'd want your parents or any of your friends to see."

"Ain't that the truth," Al commented.

"I know what the film is about.  It's a vampire movie.  My agent told me about it.  I'm supposed to be the Mistress Vampire... unless...” Deborah saw the frown appear on Veronica’s face and she felt her breathing increase exponentially.  "... unless... I'm the bait and you are really the mistress," she said as she took another step back as if getting ready to bolt if she needed to.  

"No... no, you have the lead," Sam corrected to try to make things clear. "It's just that... it's not just a vampire movie. It's..." Sam hesitated before pushing forward. "It's a pornographic movie."

"A..." Deborah stopped as her mouth dropped open but she immediately closed it and licked her mouth as it had gone dry.  "O..of course," she said softly.  "A pornographic vampire story.  Didn't I say that?"  Seeing Veronica shake her head, she nodded quickly trying to cover her shock as she licked her lips again.  "I meant to."

Sam smiled shyly at her.  “You know, it’s not like I didn’t know,” he told her with a wink hoping that it wasn’t too much.

Al shook his head at her answer.  “The kid’s messed up, Sam.  She’s gonna do anything to get into the movie business, no matter what.”

"Didn't you know that it's illegal to have a minor in a pornographic film?" Sam asked, hoping to reason with her.  The look on her face told him that it wasn’t working. "Listen, I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did."

"I don't see any mistakes that you made.  You’re a movie star.  I've wanted to be one since I was little.  And who says that I'm underage?"  Deborah could tell what Veronica was doing.  She was giving her a way out.  

‘Great,’ Sam thought as he glanced at Al, who seemed to be more interested in one of the co-stars walking by in an outfit that left nothing to the imagination.

“Alllll…” Sam muttered under his breath.  ‘Just when I need info, he’s goggling at the girls!’

“I’ve… I’ve made plenty of mistakes.  This… this is a mistake itself,” Sam said, trying to hint to Al as to what information he needed.  “Umm… do you see my name in any big blockbusters?”

"I... I think so."

“I don’t think so,” Al replied.  He knew that Sam didn’t think that he was actually listening to his conversation with Deborah, but when a woman walked by in a cape and high heels with only a stitch on here and there; it tends to grab the attention.  Any guy would be watching… well… everyone except for Sam – the True Blue Boy Scout.

Picking up the handlink, he said, "Actually, Veronica..." he paused then shake his head.  "Sam.… You’re not just here for Deborah.  You're here for Veronica too.  She dies right after she makes this movie, Sam."

Sam shook his head, an answer of a kind to both Deborah and Al.  "No, Deborah. I've never been in anything but porno’s. I made a mistake a long time ago and now I'm paying for it. Who knows what will happen to me in the future?" Sam glanced at Al to get the answer to that question.

"Sam... they don't know.  This is weird Sam.  She's on a flight to Florida for another movie when the plain crashes.  They couldn't find her remains.  They only reason that they know she was on the plane is that she was recorded going in and then the plain taxied out and left.  That's... eerie... considering..."

"Considering?" Sam asked for clarification, not realizing that Deborah took the question as being directed towards her.

"Considering the fact that you are one of the best actresses around," Deborah told her flatly.  "I saw you when you were in the soaps... you were excellent.  There's no way that you won't go on and be one of those fancy movie stars!"

"Considering that she was a vampire in this movie.  I mean, come on Sam. You kill a vampire and the body seems to vanish into dust.  Don't you remember anything?"  Al rolled his eyes as he looks at me with distain.  "Well... if you have forgotten, Mr. Swiss Cheese, they do."

Sam moaned at Al’s words before focusing on trying to convince Deborah that there was another way.  "Listen," Sam said gently. "I messed up, okay? I had a good opportunity and I blew it by deciding to take a lead role in a porno instead of a bit part in a blockbuster. You know who is a famous actress? That woman who took that bit part."  It was a little eerie talking as if he had gone through it himself; he had no idea where all of this information was coming from. "After that, the only roles I could get were in porno’s. That isn't what I went into acting for."

"Who got it then?" Deborah asked and saw the look of confusion for a moment.  "Who got the bit part?”  She placed her hand on her hip then leaned a bit to the right with an expectant look on her face.  Deborah guessed that if she didn’t name the person… then there wasn’t any merit in her speech, period.

        Sam looked at Al before looking back at Deborah as she waited for an answer.  Al pounded on the handlink to try to find out if what Sam had said was true and a moment later, both Sam and Al answered together at the same time, “Danna Lichter.”

        The name itself made Deborah put her hand up to her chest and she looked down once again.  "The up and budding starlet?" Sam nodded.  "You tried out with her and they... they didn't pick you?"  Again he nodded.  Deborah frowned then shook her head slightly.  “I… but you are better than her.”

"They didn't pick me because I didn't pick them," Sam told her plainly. "I told them I wanted more screen time. I was so desperate to get into the game fast that I didn't use my head. When they said no, I said screw them and took a lead role. And I've been stuck in those kind of lead roles ever since. Is that what you want, Deborah? Spending the rest of your life doing porno’s?"

Deborah immediately shook her head.  "No," she said softly.  "But... I already said that I'd do this role.  I... I don't back out of things," she told Sam as she straightened her back proudly.  "I... I never have.  Guess that's why I ran...” Deborah stopped and looked down then straightened her back once more.  “I guess that's why I'm here."

        “That's why you're here, all right, instead of in El Paso where you belong," Al commented. "Your parents are going nuts right now with worry, you know."

"Sometimes, going back is the only way you can go forward," Sam told her. "I sure as hell should have gone back. But... if you want to prance around with nothing but a cape and fangs, be my guest."

"But you're going to be in that too.  Why even bother with me?  It's not like anyone back home gives a damn about me anyway.  I might as well just do this!"  Deborah said exasperatedly.  "I mean... at least this will get me food and a place to stay."

"And a few venereal diseases before losing your good looks and going broke," Al added as he read from the handlink. 

"Maybe you should just think about this a little more carefully before you go jumping into it, okay?" Sam told her. "You can get food and a place to stay doing much better work than this. Respectable work."

Deborah shook her head.  It didn't make sense.  Why was Veronica trying to talk her out of doing it? Why?  "Why do you even care?  Just..." Deborah shook her head and this time skirted around the outreached hand that came toward her.  "Just leave me alone."  With tears brimming her eyes, she rushed away from Veronica not knowing what to do.

PART THREE

"That's one confused little girl," Al said softly as he watched her run past Sam.  "You were saying the right things.  Let me see, here."  Al looked at the readings from the handlink and sighed.  "At least you hit the 50 percentile, buddy.  So, there's a 50 percent that she will or that she won't.  At least you have her thinking."

"At least that’s something," Sam murmured before exhaling. "What about her parents? She thinks no one cares for her at home. We've got to convince her otherwise. And what about her agent? What do we do about him?"

The handlink squawked just then with information.  "Wha... oh... just a min."  Looking down at the handlink, Al read the information that was there.  "Ziggy just did a background check on the nozzle; one David Allen Hendson.  He's a prime candidate for shark bait.  He takes the first kids - literally - kids that he sees and turns them over to the porn films.  Fake Ids, and the like.  From what we have here... her family life... we don't know much about. We just recently were able to find out that she was from El Paso.  So, bear with us here.  We're getting there."

"Great," Sam murmured, looking around the set of the film and then cringing slightly as Lara walked onto the set, stark naked, and smiled as she waved at him. Cautiously, he waved back, getting a slight frown from her.

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH BOY!" Al groaned when he saw Lara come walking onto the set.  "Sam..."  he whispered somewhat softer.  "Look at that body... oh my gawd!" he gasped out, unable to hide his appreciation.

"Al, right now that's the least of my problems," Sam told him, blocking his view. "You said this David Allen Hendson is getting these girls into these kind of films. How do I stop him? Where is he, anyway?"

When Sam stepped into his line of view, Al moved his head around to try to see around him, but the quantum physicist turned leaper was quite adamant.  "Sam..." he tried again, but the look that he got was enough for him to straighten up.  Bringing up the handlink, he typed in the questions that Sam wanted answers to.

        "He's with Deborah.  He found her on the other side of the set, upset and told her to stay away from you.  Isn't that peachy?  I mean.. I... oh... ayi ayi ayi..."

Coming up behind her love, Lara couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching Ronnie’s butt, giggling at the way that she jumped.  "Ohh, sweetcheeks?"

Sam yipped as he jumped at being pinched,  He quickly turned around then instantly tried to avoid looking at Lara without looking like he was avoiding her.

"Hi... ummm... Lara," he murmured. "Wh... what's on your mind?"

"Well, I..." Lara reached out and rubbed her cheek softly.  "... I know that you aren't feeling well, but I just wanted to give you a hug, honey.  I mean... I work better after we've given each other some lovin'."  The look on Ronnie’s face was just enough to let Lara know that she was about to be sick.  "Ronnie, baby... you okay?"

The question was barely out of her mouth before her lover turned and ran toward the bathroom.  "Ronnie?" she called out to her, but could only watch as the blonde vanished behind the bathroom door.  Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair then dropped her hand.  "OK.  Never mind."

        It took everything that Al could do to make himself push the buttons on the handlink to relocate to where Sam was.  He wasn't looking forward to it, but still... he was there with him.  Right?  "Sam?" he questioned timidly after hearing the toilet flush.  "You okay?"

"No," Sam told him plainly. "I'm not okay, Al. I have a girl who insists on being in this... this... atrocity.  And then there’s her manager who just told her to stay away from me, Lara's coming onto me, and I... Al, eventually, I'm going to have to go up there and..." Sam cringed again and put a hand over his eyes. "Gawd, I've got the worst headache.

“Sam... just come up with a reason to leave.  Okay?  Just ... you're sick... and you need to leave and find a way to take Deborah with you," Al tried to make positive suggestions, but Sam was already shaking his head.  "Well then, you’re the genius here... you think of something."

Sam shook his head again. "Deborah isn't going to listen to me, Al. Why should she? Doesn't matter how many mistakes in life I've made. I can say all I want and she isn't going to listen to me." He sighed and shook his head again. "It's not worth the effort going up against that bastard. He's got too much influence." Sam began to sob. "I can't fight him."

Al frowned as he watched Sam as he put his head in his hands and just sobbed.  "Uhm... Sam, listen.  Your merging with Veronica... that's not you talking... that's her.  Snap out of it, buddy."  I see him continue to sob into his hands.  At that point that he cleared his throat and pulled out the old Admiral bark.  "SNAP TO, SAM!" he barked sharply, the immediate reaction that he got just making him wish that he hadn't done it at all.

Sam jumped at the sudden brusque voice snapping at him, then quickly moved away from him, a clearly frightened look on his face. Only after a long moment did he realize what had happened, and exhaled slowly. But even as he did so, a thought occurred to him.

"Al, Hendson got Veronica into this situation, right? Who... who else did he get into pornography?"

Pulling up the handlink, Al immediately looked into what Sam had asked.  "Sam, there's a list here about a mile long."  He shoke his head then blinked.  "Oh, wait a minute. Sam... he got Lara and you... Veronica, I mean, into this business... the slimeball.  I oughta kick his butt."

"Al,” Sam began.  “Do you think there’s anyway I can get Lara to help me convince Deborah to get out of the business?" he asked carefully and thoughtfully. "If Deborah knew there was an alternative, wouldn't that help?" Another thought came to him. "What if we introduce her to another manager, someone who would get her more appropriate roles?"

"I don't know, Sam,” Al responded.  “Lara seems pretty protective of her... um... companions.  You could ask her, but she might think that you have alternatives going on.  But... if you can introduce her to another manager, then sure... there's always the option, but where are you going to find someone that won't take advantage of that cute little girl?”

Sam sighed, frustrated. "I don't know, Al. I don't know anyone here other than Lara. And I can't do anything without information. Why don't you ask Ziggy for a change instead of making me do all the work?" There was no disguising the bitterness in his voice.

"Well, there's no need to get your panties in a wad, Sam.  Geez."  Al pulled out the handlink and quickly questioned Ziggy about the information.  "Ok.  Ziggy says that if you can get her out of here within the next thirty minutes that there is a manager by the name of Zachary McMillian who is at 'Derby's' and that if he even sees her... wow... Ziggy gives a 87 % chance that he'll offer her a job as a model for John Michael Powers.  It's an awesome job, Sam… and they do fantastic work. But you have to get her outta Dodge in thirty minutes."

Sam nodded at his words before leaving the bathroom and looking around. "Where is she, Al?" he asked carefully. Getting the answer that she was on the other side of the set, watching the filming, he made his way over towards her, and then had to wait until Howard called out "Cut!" before going to her.

        "Deborah?" he asked carefully. See her frown at him and quickly move away, forced Sam to follow her.

"Deborah, wait a second, will you?" he called out. "Just, please, listen to me. It wouldn't hurt to listen, would it?"

Deborah never stopped moving.  "Yeah, it might," she called out back to her. "Dave told me that I shouldn't talk to you, and he's my agent and I listen to him.  He's gotten me this far... at least he cares," she said even if inside she wasn’t quite sure if she believed her own words or not.  She licked at her lips then, feeling a hand on her arm, she stopped and turn backed to look at Veronica.  "Listen, I appreciate all that you've said, but... it's... it's my choice, all right?"

"No, Sam,  No it's not,” Al interjected, having followed Sam on his mission to try to get Deborah to listen to him.  “She gives an interview later, and she said that if she had a choice that she never would have gotten into this business."

"Okay," Sam said softly. "It's your choice. But isn't it also your choice to not do what Hendson tells you? What does being near me have anything to do with your career?"

Deborah had to admit that Veronica had posed a very good question.  "I... I don't know... but..." She took a step toward her and dropped her eyes before looking up at her.  "What would I do other than this?  I mean... there's nothing," she said softly, defeatedly.

"BINGO!” Al exclaimed.  “Go, Sam.  Take the ball and run with it, and get her to Derby's now!"

Sam did just that.  "Deborah, what if I told you that I knew there's someone who can make you a famous model? You've got the looks, and there are many models who became actresses." She just gave him a look that he couldn’t really describe. "Tell you what. How about we talk about it over lunch?"

Deborah studied the blonde woman before her for a moment, not certain if she was playing a game with her or not.  If she knew this

person, then why was she there?  She bit thoughtfully at her lip.    “But... "

"Sam... don't let her...”

Deborah looked at her quizzically for another moment before deciding.  "Alright.  Lunch... and that's it, right?"

        "That's it," Sam said. "If I can't convince you by the end of lunch, I'll stay out of the whole thing." Al gave him a look. "Trust me," he told both her and Al.

        Sam guided her out of the building and to the car. Helping her into the car, he got into the driver’s seat and then drove the distance to Derby's. There he guided her into the restaurant, got them a table and then ordered us a couple of Coca-Colas.

"Nice place, huh?" he asked conversationally.

"Yeah,” Deborah admitted.  “It's... it's okay.  Thanks for the Coke.  I appreciate it.  I was thirsty."  She glanced around the place and smiled.  "I'm sorry about earlier, Veronica.  I mean, being new... and having Dave who says that I'm one who will make a big break in this business... I just... well... you know."

"Yeah, I know.  Same thing he told me six years ago," he told her with a nod before shaking his head. "Wish I'd never listened to him." He looked around, giving Al a meaningful look. *Where's Zachary McMillian?*

        "He's just over there, Sam,” Al picked up Sam’s cue smoothly.  “Two tables down and on the right," he told him, checking the handlink. "He's just about to pay the check so you'd better get your butt in gear."

Looking over towards the table in question, Sam saw a man and a woman smiling at each other.

"Isn't that Zachary McMillian?" he asked, gesturing towards the table Al had pointed out.

Deborah glanced in the direction of the table that Sam was motioning at and her mouth dropped open.

PART FOUR

Sam stepped into the plane with Lara with a sense of anticipation. It was a risky plan, certainly, but he hadn't any doubt that this was the only way that they could get a confession from Hendson and hammer the nail into his proverbial coffin. With a confession, there would be no way that he could deny his involvement in child pornography.

"You ready for this?" he asked as he felt the plane start its take-off for the flight to Florida and Veronica's next film.

Lara turned her head to look at her lover, then smiled warmly at her.  "With you beside me, darling, I'm ready for anything."  Something amusing occurred to her and she dropped a wink.  "In this lifetime or the next."  She had thought the quip was cute, and figured Ronnie would as well.  For as oddly as her lover had behaved in the last couple of days, she knew Ronnie's sense of humor should have seized on it.

Sam frowned slightly at the wink and what must have been a private joke between Lara and Veronica. Still, he decided that the joke deserved some kind of response so he smiled at her slightly before focusing his eyes forward. He couldn't wait to get this leap over with. One week in the life of a porn star was too long, especially since he had to finish that awful movie in Veronica's place. Good thing his character died after the third day of shooting.

The plane slowly reached cruising altitude, allowing Sam and Lara to stand. He started towards the front of the plane, making sure that he brought Veronica's handbag and the tape recorder that was hidden inside it.

For David Allen Hendson getting out of Las Vegas without a stopover in the county jail was the best thing about his brief stay there.  It still rankled him to no end that Veronica's interference had cost him sweet, succulent Deborah for whom he'd had special plans beyond getting her into the adult film industry.   For now though, he settled back in his seat and accepted the glass of champagne that the steward offered him.  He had just taken a small sip when he heard soft footsteps coming his way.  A moment later, the person moved closer and he looked up into Veronica's violet-blue eyes, and smiled.

"Going to freshen up?" he inquired, glancing at the purse.  "If not..." Without breaking eye contact with her, he patted the empty seat beside him.  Taking another sip from the crystal flute, he watched the attractive young woman avidly.

Sam frowned strongly at the offer to sit beside Hendson. "I'm not here for entertainment, Hendson. I'm here because of all those girls whose lives you ruined." His hand had already dipped into the purse to turn on the tape recorder.

Hendson didn't allow his private thoughts about Ronnie's rather clipped reply to show in his eyes.  But neither did he miss watching her reach into her handbag for something. He continued to savor the chilled Dom Perignon as he considered what might be on Ronnie's agenda.

"You don't have to bite my head off," he responded rather more mildly than he wanted to.  When the woman apparently determined to ruin some or all that he'd worked for over the years, both here and on the Continent, didn't rise to the comment, David felt a small prickling of wariness come to life inside him.

"I didn't ruin anybody's life," he retorted, shifting in his seat a bit.  "All I did was introduce them to a specialized film genre.  If they didn't have the wherewithal to advance themselves to the major studios, that's their fault."

Sam squinted at him with contempt. "They were under age girls," he said plainly. "You changed all their records so that they would appear to be over eighteen but they were all just kids."

The young woman's words..."they were all just kids," brought a certain gleam to his eyes as he studied the tiny bubbles in his glass,  "Everybody has to grow up, Ronnie," he said casually, not even a hint of remorse in his voice.  "Those girls..." Now he did lift his gaze to hers. "Well, they just happened to look like they were ready for Real Life 101."  Again Ronnie's puritan attitude touched off another alarm in his mind.  This time, though, he didn't let it pass.  Sitting up straight in his seat, David glared up at the tall blonde.  Grabbing her wrist nearest him, he yanked harder, forcing her to come a step then another closer to him.  Maintaining his grip, he rose to his feet.

"Don't drag all that up again, Veronica," he warned softly, his dark eyes flashing.  "I've put up with a lot from you."  He held her arm tighter when she tried to pull away from him.  "What are you up to?"

*Gawd, he's strong!* Sam thought as Hendson pulled him to him and held him tight. He tried to pull away but found that he couldn't. In fact, his wrist was starting to hurt terribly.

"I'm just looking for justice, Mr. Hendson," he told him, looking him in the eyes, determined to follow through with this plan.

"Hey, Sam, how's it... oh," Al said as he looked around, just having arrived at the scene. "Oh, boy. This isn't good. Sam, what'd you say to him?"

Lara had wondered about Ronnie's determination to get a confession out of David.  What was she thinking?  She had been around him long enough to know that catching David Hendson flat-footed or off guard was as rare as...well, you name it, it was just a rarity.  Five minutes was about the length of her endurance of wondering what was going on in the forward part of the private jet that was his exclusive private area.  Getting to her feet, she made her way quickly in the direction of the nose of the plane.

Reaching the heavy dark gold silk curtain that was the divider between the seating area for guests and David's private area, Lara hesitated a moment then used both hands to part them and started to step inside but didn't.  She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Roland," she murmured softly under her breath at the sight of him standing a few feet from Ronnie.  "Sweet Roland."  She sighed then, the memories of the wonderful evenings and nights that Lord Roland Portifor had made with her.  Studying his trim figure and smart if slightly outrageous fashion taste, Lara sighed again.  "Oh Rollie... why did you have to die?  Why did you come back that night?  Why did you make me kill you?"

Lara had memories of so many former lovers, but none had ever stirred her like the man - now the shade standing and watching her lover and David - had.  But she took comfort in his presence.  "You always promised to watch over me," she whispered softly.  He didn't hear her but it didn't bother her. In fact, it didn't even occur to her because just at that moment, she heard Ronnie's startled and pained gasp of, "Let go.  You're hurting me."

Shifting her gaze to her lover and David, all the sweet memories of Roland vanished from her mind, replaced in a fiery surge of jealousy.  The sight of David's arm around Ronnie's waist as he held her against him while he was all but shouting in her face, was more than she was going to stand.

In the space of a heartbeat, the sweetness and femininity that she let the world see faded and the ugliness of possessiveness burned in Lara's veins.  With a snarl of rage she leaped effortlessly from the curtains to Ronnie, knocking her lover and David over.  Such was her fury as she went after David that she didn't bother to try to hide her true nature.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!!" she screamed, grabbing for his throat.

Al's frantic worry about Sam's well-being - Hendson's hold on Sam's wrist and waist was so strong, it was inhuman! - vanished to the side when Lara literally tackled both Sam and Hendson with a fury that could only be called animalistic. He watched with a mixture of concern and astonishment as Lara literally clawed at Hendson, one hand on his throat, while Sam somehow made it out of the mass of fury.

"Al..." Sam called, blinking to clear his head as he tried to focus on what was happening. But the pain in his wrist took most of his attention. "Al... I think he broke my wrist."

Al looked between Sam and the fight before returning his attention to Sam. "I think that wrist is the least of your worries, Sam."

Being blindsided by Lara's full body tackle and then finding the incensed woman screaming and clawing at him, using her considerable strength to try to get her hands around his throat, was little more than an annoyance for Hendson.  It wasn't the first time Lara's almost borderline insane jealousy had brought them to fight.  But this time he'd had enough.

He barely broke a sweat as he flung the diminutive Lara across the width of the plane.  The sound of her head slamming against the wall of the plane immediately followed by a low moan, told him the fire had been dampened, at least momentarily.

Scrambling to his feet, Hendson wiped a hand over his throat then looked at his fingers.  Seeing traces of blood on his fingers keyed his temper to rise.  Stalking over to Lara where she lay in a heap, he snarled at her, "I don't want your stupid lover, Lara.  But she's up to something."  David paused and swung halfway around, fixing the troublesome Veronica with an icy stare.  "And you know that I don't like surprises."  For a second his gaze shifted slightly to the right of where Ronnie was standing.  "I don't know who *you* are," he said in a tone colder than an Arctic winter wind, "or how Veronica got you onboard without me seeing you.  But take a word of advice.  Stay out of my way and out of my sight.  Otherwise, you're going to be fair meat for anyone on this plane that wants you."  David didn't miss the way the older man in the vibrant emerald green jacket stared at him, mouth agape. "I'll only say it once," he warned before turning his focus again on the blonde.  Seeing her almost unconscious clutching of the purse told him where to look for answers.

"Give me that purse," he ordered and started toward Ronnie.

"Sam, he can see me! This isn't good at all!" Al told him once Hendson started for him. "You've got to get out of here. Quick. Quick." He gestured towards the pilot's cabin, thinking that Sam could lock himself in there. But when Hendson just smiled at his gesture, he raised his eyebrows. "Okay, so maybe that way’s a bad idea."

Sam cradled his broken wrist while still holding tight to the purse. "Why?" he demanded, looking at Hendson with wariness. "Why should I give you the purse?"

"Because if you don't," Hendson said, menacing naked in every syllable. "You'll never get off this plane alive."  The comment seemed to amuse the man with what many had termed a 'gracefully aging attractive movie star' appearance.  Groomed to the teeth, just enough of a tan to complement whatever he wore, and dark eyes -almost black eyes- that could mesmerize.  The sly smile on his face began to turn vaguely ugly as he moved slowly but determinedly toward her.  Upon reaching Veronica, he stopped an arm's length away from her and fixed her with a dead stare.

"You remember what happened to the last bitch who defied me, don't you, Veronica?"  When the blonde, her face now almost ashen with fear, didn't answer, Hendson reminded her, or rather thought he did.  What he did instead was to shock the woman even more.  Licking his lips lightly then smacking them, he said, "Andrea was really quite tender…very easy to digest.  And such lovely warm blood."

Sam's eyes widened in shock and horror at his words, taking a step back. "Al..." he said with a shaky voice.

Al seemed paralyzed in his spot, the handlink nearly limp in his hand. Only when Sam repeated his name with a hint of panic did he move, quickly looking at the handlink. "Ziggy's got nothing. You... I mean Veronica still disappears but this time so does everyone on board. You've got to get off this plane, Sam!"

        Even as he urged his best friend, he noticed a slight movement behind Hendson. Lara was stirring. *Come on, girl! Help us out here. You seem like a tough little fighter.*

"Sam, get ready for my mark," he told his friend, giving him a meaningful look.

Over the long years, Lara had been in many fights, frequently having the wind knocked out of her when the quarrel was with one of her own kind.  David had proven to be among the most formidable of the males.  Now as her head cleared, she heard the last of what he was saying to her lover.  But that wasn't what caught her off guard.  That distinction went to the instant when David, as if sensing she was alert again, turned toward her.

"If you know what's Veronica's up to, and I find out you knew," he warned her, "you'll join her."

"You wouldn't dare!" Lara stated strongly, getting slowly to her feet and taking a wobbly step at him.  But when David Hendson drew himself up to his full height, and aided by the intensity of his stare, she suddenly felt as if she were confronting an unkillable Goliath.  The look in those eyes, a look she had witnessed many times before, told her that it wasn't an idle threat.  Darting a glance toward the lovely young woman who had won her over such a short time ago, Lara licked her lips then licked them again.  She slid an ugly glance at David before turning an apologetic gaze on sweet Ronnie.  She had no way of knowing how her words touched her lover.

"I'm...sorry, Ronnie," she said slowly.  "I...I don't have a choice."  Turning back to Hendson, now backed up by the tall, angular person of Denby Wagner, the pilot, she said, "Ronnie's got a tape recorder in her purse."

Sam dropped the purse at Lara's telling her the secret they had held back. Suddenly, he felt completely worn, as if all the fight in him had left him. Or rather out of Veronica. It was as if he were operating on remote control when he looked at Lara and whispered, "Lara... we'll never be free. He has to pay for that."

Al looked at his friend with concern and then at Lara. "What? You're just giving up? You both can take both of them on!" But before he could continue, he saw Sam slump to the floor. "Sam!" he exclaimed, hurrying to his side.

A faint smile tinged with bitterness strove to turn up the corners of Lara's mouth at her lover's whispered, "...he has to pay for that."  She started to say something but lost the thought when the shade of Roland started talking to Ronnie.  She listened then frowned at what he was saying.

"Her name is Ronnie...Veronica," she told the shade.  When it appeared he hadn't heard her, Lara moved around to stand before him.  The expression on his face was as if he had been dumbstruck.  "Her name isn't Samantha.  It's Veronica."  But the shade just babbled more odd things and so Lara turned her attention to her unconscious lover.  Kneeling beside her, Lara reached to softly stroke the long blonde hair that she had loved.

"You're wrong, lover," she said softly, even as the instincts inside her began to rise up from where she kept them hidden.  "We...none of us... will ever be free."  She moved her hand to caress the side of Ronnie's neck, her fingertips lingering on the strong, steady pulse.  Nothing could have prevented her from licking her lips as she stared at that subtle indicator of life still coursing through Ronnie's veins.

"Only the strongest survive, beloved,” she whispered.  "Why couldn't you have been one of the strong ones?"  Already Lara was beginning to sense in the air the stirrings that told her that feeding wasn't far off.

Al looked around the plane, watching the looks on everyone's face and then hearing Lara's words. Something wasn't right here. Something had to be done. Why was Lara changing sides like this? Wasn't she supposed to be in love with Veronica?

"Lara, what are you doing?" he ventured, knowing now that she could see and hear him. "Lara, what are you doing? Tell me." When she didn't answer immediately, he used his best Admiral voice to get the attention he needed from her. "LARA! What are you doing?" He even went so far as to move so that his face was in hers, a task in itself without having half his body disappearing under the floorboards.

Hendson hadn't moved, had twitched so much as an eyebrow as he watched Lara - ever the romantic- once again desert the rosy dream of normalcy and retake her place in the pack.  Glancing at Veronica where she lay on the floor just a couple of feet from him, David wanted to be the first at her.  But one ritual that was never broken, was that when one of the kind fell, for whatever reason or circumstance, if they were partnered, the surviving partner always fed first.  It was a killing offense to break that rule; few that he knew of ever had.

Noticing a slight motion of one of Veronica's hands, a minor twitch, Hendson spoke again to Lara, only now the fury was gone.  In its place was a calm acceptance of what was.  "Lara," he called her name almost gently.  He waited for her to look up at him, all the while keeping note of her lover's return to consciousness.  "Feed before she opens her eyes," he told her firmly.  "If you really care for her, let her go quietly.  You know full well," he reminded her. "If she's awake and starts screaming...there will be a frenzy."  When several seconds passed and she didn't move, David squatted on his haunches to be on eye level with her.  "Do it now, and I will see to it that the others don't disturb you until you have your fill."  Dropping a glance at the now slowly stirring woman, he looked to his pack mate again. "Do you love her?" he asked again.

"Yes," Lara whispered, looking into David's eyes a moment longer.  Then, giving a long sigh, Lara yielded to the instincts.  She moaned and howled softly as her canines came out, and then as if to sooth them, opened her mouth wide, her fangs glistening whitely before she lowered her head toward the soft warmth of Ronnie's neck.

"NO!" Al yelled, motioning towards her to stop. "Lara, don't!" To his amazement, his superstitious nature was overridden by his genuine fear for his friend. "She's not Veronica!"

Apparently, his words got to Lara just in the nick of time as she raised her head towards him. He shivered at the sight of her fangs before continuing. "He's not Veronica. If you really love Veronica, you'll help him help her!"

It was an unwritten rule, a law almost that a first feeding wasn't to be interrupted for any reason.  The sound of Roland's shade yelling, "NO!" startled Lara, and she forgot for a moment of her lover and turned her head slightly and looked up at the wide-eyed spirit beside her.

"What do you mean...he?" she asked, speaking a bit difficult with her fangs extended.  "This is Veronica..."  But the shade was so insistent that she allowed the instinct to be stilled and to listen to and hear what he was saying.  It made no sense, but she asked, "How can I help...him?"  It wasn't a strongly-voiced question; the instincts once stirred by the scent were sometimes difficult to control.  Reaching to touch the pulse in Ronnie's neck again, she whispered, as she met the shade's eyes again, "I love her.  I don't want her to suffer in a frenzy."  She paused then asked again, "How...can I help?"

"Well, it would help if you defended him instead of attacking him," Al pointed out tightly. "Hendson's the enemy here, right? You tell me who you should be attacking." Another thought occurred to him as he reviewed what he had heard Lara whisper. "And who says the strong is the physically strong, huh?”  He glanced down at Sam then back to Lara.  Moving his hand as if to lay it on Sam’s leg, Al pressed his point.  “He isn't as strong as you because he's human." He saw the look in her eyes and knew he had hit a chord. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? That scumbag there made you what you are, and you want to be human again."  Something in her eyes gave him a nudge of hope and Al took it and ran with it.  “If you love Veronica like you say you do, then you don’t want her to be like you.  And the best way to keep her the way she is – human, then you won’t…feed on her.”  He swallowed hard at using the term.  “If you don’t do that, you’ll help both her and him,” he spared a quick glance at Sam then back to Lara.

Al didn’t know what else to say to convince Lara.  All he could do now was hope he’d said the right words.

Hendson had taught himself from a young age how to use his good looks and charm to his advantage with all people.  Men and women, children, the aged, they all fell to his charisma.  Years later, after a unique encounter in the Black Forest in Germany, he learned the value of his charm in honing his skills in stalking his prey. But he had tempered those drawing room traits with cunning and strength, both physical and mental, and it was that combination that helped him carve out his own niche of power and helped to keep him alive in the unceasingly dangerous world of vampires.  He had learned fast how to protect himself and later, how to achieve and increase power over them.  Now, here in the plane presently set on autopilot, he had cut off what looked like a ploy to seize his power.  But Lara, more easily manipulated than she would care to believe, had been brought to heel, and he had watched as she prepared to rid him of a female that he had sensed was trouble from the beginning of their acquaintance.  And he would be damned along side every vampire in the world before he was going to let her be swayed by some old man in a green jacket.

"Feed, Lara," he told her firmly, using his voice to try to regain her attention on him.  'If you don't..." he glanced back at the pilot standing a few feet behind him.  "You know how Denby gets when he feeds after too long between feedings."  When the little man spoke again, Hendson leapt to his feet and flung himself at the man, roaring, "You were warned!  Now you're meat!" 

But there was nothing... no contact, not even a brushing of bodies, and instead of grappling and fighting with the older man whom he had warned earlier, Hendson fell to the floor.  Rolling over quickly, he jumped to his feet.

"How did you do that?" he demanded.  A slight motion caught the corner of his eye and then he heard the soft moan.  Not caring about rules or laws anymore, Hendson felt the instinct boil up, as his anger erupted and he shifted his gaze to the pilot.

        "EAT!" he roared.

Al froze for a moment before looking at the pilot and noticing that Denby wasn't making a move towards Sam. He frowned for a moment looking between the two, noting Hendson's fury when his order wasn't being obeyed.

"I'm guessing you just got yourself in trouble, knuckle nose," Al taunted with a slight grin as Denby started for Hendson.

Hearing Hendson bellowing, "EAT!" at the pilot, Lara struggled with mixed desires raging within her. Thrusting herself between Ronnie’s prostrate figure and the pilot, her inner war was as much to protect the woman she loved, as it was her determination to defend the food that was rightfully hers.

Her body tensed and she never let her eyes stray from Denby as he started forward.  But when she was about to scream and dive at the pilot, Lara had enough of a grasp on her emotions and instincts to hesitate.  The sight of Denby moving steadily past her and then hearing Hendson stunned, "No!  Get away from me!  NO!  NOT ME YOU FOOL!! Her...there, on the floor!  It's food for the taking! No...NO! NOOOO!" was a memory she would carry with her forever.

The scream was that of a mortally wounded animal as its throat was ripped out.  Instantly, as if waiting for a signal, several other screams combined with Hendson’s, overshadowed by howls, and then the snuffling and growling of wild animals feeding was all that was heard in the confines of the Lear jet streaking smoothly through the night sky.

In the midst of the frenzy, Lara had maintained vigil over her lover, even to pulling her into a less obvious space and shielding her with her body.  Instinct warred with her love for the beautiful woman who was forced back to consciousness by the horrible screams and the unmistakable smell of blood that filled the plane.

Hearing her name whispered softly, Lara turned her head and in spite of her hunger to feed, felt her heart leap up at the sight of her lover's eyes watching her.  "Lay still," she whispered, putting a hand on Ronnie's shoulder to hold her still.  "It will be over soon."  Licking her lips and ignoring her body's need for sustenance, Lara smiled at Ronnie and said, "You're safe.  I wouldn't let him hurt you."

Al's first reaction to the scream Hendson had let out was a smile of victory. But that smile faded as the entire plane was filled with screams and sights that would make even the toughest stomach sick. He found himself trying to focus on Sam's condition, wondering if he was okay, what had brought on the fainting spell, and how badly damaged his wrist was. Despite every instinct in him that told him to get the hell out of Dodge, Al remained, forcing himself to ignore the grotesque sounds until they were at last, thankfully gone.

When the plane was once again quiet, he dared to look around and nearly choked at the sight of the blood-stained walls.

"Lara?" he finally heard a voice - Sam's voice - clearly and went to his side.

"Sam, it's... it's over," Al told him, avoiding looking at their surroundings. "It's over. You can leap now."

Sam slowly looked at Al before shifting his eyes towards Lara. "What happened?"

Al shook his head. "You don't want to know."

Though her attention was only for Ronnie, Lara couldn't help glancing at the shade of Roland of so long ago as he told her beloved partner, "You don't want to know."  Reaching to brush several strands of hair from Ronnie's face, she added, "All you need to know is that we are still together.  And even better..." She paused, seeing in her mind the bits and pieces of what had been David Hendson that still littered the floor of the plane behind her.  To Ronnie's weak prompting of, "What?" Lara leaned forward to cup her lover's face gently between her hands, tilting her face up a bit so she could gaze deeply into her eyes as she said, "David won't be luring any more children into the world of...adult entertainment films." 

She wasn't sure what it was that happened, all she did know was that when Ronnie's confused expression became almost beatific at her words, Lara knew that this one she would fight to the death for was going to be okay.  Even the momentary dizziness that swept over her was forgotten a moment later when she felt Ronnie reach for her.  "It's okay, darling," she assured her.  "Just be still for a while.  I'll find us something to eat."

        Al cringed slightly at Lara's words as she carefully stood up and walked away from the small, untouched part of the plane. Only when she was gone did he finally raise the handlink to see the results.

"Sam, you changed history," he told his friend, who looked a little pale from the injury he received. "Now, Lara and Veronica don't disappear. They get to Orlando safely, thanks to the pilot. But after this jet takes off again, it crashes into the sea and was never found again. I'd guess that Denby up there was covering the tracks of what happened here."

Sam felt like every ounce of energy and strength had been drained from his body, and he hadn't given Al or Lara any reason to warn him further to be still.  He had lay there and listened to Al's recitation of what he had accomplished on this leap.  But there was still one question he needed Al to answer.

"What happened to Hendson, Al?" he asked softly, shifting a bit then wincing as his injured wrist reminded him of the wisdom of not moving it.

But Sam never got the answer he wanted from the Observer.  Well, not verbally anyway.  As the familiar sensation began deep in the most visceral part of his being and he felt himself being pulled away, he caught a clear sight of the hologram's face and his expression.  He squinted, trying to focus on Al's lips in an attempt to read what he was saying, or perhaps mouthing.  But his work in this leap was finished and he was pulled away.  Yet with him he took a thought, holding onto it as long as he could.

*What is it I wouldn't want to know?*

EPILOGUE

The quantum phasing dissipated like dust in a breeze and Sam Beckett found himself on a grassy slope, which made him lurch slightly and jerk his arms to maintain his balance on the uneven ground. Settled, he cautiously looked to his immediate surroundings to see if anyone noticed; they hadn't. The woman standing next to him was a little ahead, and standing with her head bowed. Sam couldn't help noticing that she was dressed in black. He cautiously looked the other way and didn't see anyone. Sam sighed in relief.

        He moved to raise his head and look down the hill but something just beyond his feet stopped him, a grave marker in the grass. It read, "Kelly Robinson Cole, Beloved Mother and Wife, Oct. 5, 1912 - May 10, 1981. Rest in Peace." Sam blinked, and slowly looked around. Well, at least I know it's sometime after 1981, he thought nervously, taking in the fact that he was standing in the middle of a cemetery.

        Finally, he raised his head enough to see that there was a small gathering of people at the bottom of the hill. A graveside service was in progress with a fair amount of people in attendance. He could hear the murmuring of the priest, and was surprised at the number of glances thrown his way. Frowning at the possible implications of the glances, he was completely surprised when a hand clapped his back in greeting.

        "Hey, Bruce," a man said lowly as he moved up to stand by Sam. "I'm surprised you're here, man, I mean with the circumstances and all." He adjusted his jacket, and stood with his head respectfully bowed.

        "Ah…circumstances?" Sam stuttered nervously, his gut suddenly churning.

        The man threw him a sideways glance, his expression surprised. "Yeah. I mean after all, you did shoot him, and all!"

        "I shot him?" Sam choked. "You mean I killed him?" He realized as soon as the words passed his lips that it was too late to make it sound like a statement instead of a question.

        The man frowned worriedly. "That's what I say, buddy, but those guys down there are calling it murder," the man replied softly. "This is going to be a long, hard road, Bruce. You know that, don't you?"

        Oh, boy! I can't be a murderer! Sam thought desperately, his palms suddenly sticky with sweat.